


The Masks We Wear

by sanchothevirgo



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gay Panic, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), M/M, Prinxiety - Freeform, Slow Burn, logicality - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 19:08:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16816657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanchothevirgo/pseuds/sanchothevirgo
Summary: Best friends Patton, Logan and Roman have been together through everything since they were three years old. Now it's their senior year of high school and they're preparing for their lives to change forever when an immature, edgelord, Virgil, comes into their lives and messes up their entire plan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Aah! This is my first fanfic on Ao3! I really hope you guys like it! It's also my first slow burn fic, so... It might suck. My apologies, in advance!

It was a dark and stormy night. Murder in the air. The aroma of death filled the nose of every person in a five mile radius. The only sound that could be heard was the faint pitter patter of heartbeats. Bang. Bang. Bang. Slow, steady, afraid to make a move. Afraid to make a sound. Afraid. 

At least, that’s what was happening on the screen in the living room of the one and only Patton Hart. In reality, it was a sunny spring day in Honeyville, California. The aroma of freshly baked cookies fill the Hart House. The only sound that could be heard was the squelching of zombie heads being smashed in on the television. 

Patton sat in the middle of the couch, with his two friends sitting on either side of him. Despite it being a rather warm day, he had a blanket pulled up to his nose. It wasn’t that he was particularly could, but rather that he was terrified of everything happening on the screen and needed something to cover his eyes with.

“This isn’t even a horror movie, Pat!” One of Patton’s best friends, Logan Sanders, groaned as the shorter one hid his face in his shoulder. “This is The Walking Dead! The humans are scarier than the zombies!”  
“I do not know, Lo! I do not like them!” Patton complained, pushing his glasses up on his face. He sounded like a child, complaining about not wanting to eat his carrots.  
“You’d think after binge watching five seasons, you’d be a little more used to it by now,” Their other best friend, Roman King, chuckled.  
“I’m going to have nightmares for years to come,” Patton sighed, leaning his head back on Logan’s shoulder.  
“Don’t worry, Patty Cakes, if there were to be a zombie apocalypse, I would most certainly protect you.”  
“Gross. I’d sacrifice you both, instantly,” Roman laughed, getting up off of the couch and towards the cookies that were cooling on the kitchen counter. “Catch!”  
Both Logan and Patton held their arms in front of their bodies, defensively as cookies flew in their direction, neither exactly known for their athletic prowess.  
Jesus, Roman! As if it wasn’t bad enough that you would sacrifice us in an apocalypse, but now you’re throwing things at us!” Logan complained.  
Before Roman could shoot another insult their way, the front door opened, revealing a woman, late thirties, holding several grocery bags on her arms, “Hello, my precious babies!”  
The woman kissed Roman on the head as she struggled into the kitchen to drop the bags on the counter, next to the cookies.  
“Got big dinner plans, Mrs. H?” Logan asked, neither he nor Patton bothering to get up from the couch.  
“I have nine faces to feed, my pet,” Patton’s mom chuckled, walking over to the couch and kissing both Logan and Patton on the tops of their heads.  
“Wait. Remy is coming home for dinner?” Patton looked up at his mother. Remy was the oldest Hart child. He was away at college most of the time, but whenever he did visit, he brought his boyfriend Damion back with him. Besides Patton, the Harts had three other children. Remy, Alexis, and Jack. Four boys. And on top of them, Logan and Roman basically lived at the Hart house most of the time. And then there was Mr. Hart, who had recently came home from two tours in Iraq.  
One really big, happy family.  
“Yes, he is. And I expect you boys to be on your very best behavior. There is simply too much testosterone in the house on a regular basis, I don’t know how I am still alive as it is.”  
“Of course we’ll be good, Ma!” Patton smiled.  
“Ooh, did you get--”  
“Yes, I got your crofters. What do you think this is? Amature hour?” Mrs. Hart chuckled.  
“God, I love this woman!” Logan shouted, blowing kisses at his friend’s mom.  
“I assume you boys are staying for dinner?” Mrs. H asked, retreating into the kitchen to put the groceries away.  
“You can assume we’ll be staying for dinner until… college,” Roman nodded, laughing. His smile quickly faltered and Patton knew why. College. The one topic that they hated bringing up. Life after high school.  
“... Cookies!” Logan shouted, in attempt to change the subject.  
“Cookies!” Patton and Roman shouted, in agreement.  
“No! No cookies! You’ll spoil your dinner!” Mrs. H gasped, plucking the cookies from each of their hands. “Come on. You boys can help me make dinner.”  
Roman pointed at the tv, “But… zombies. Mrs. H, they squelch when the get killed! How are you going to take this away from us!?”  
“You can worry about your squelching friends later, Ro, go wash your hands and help me!”  
The three boys groaned, but they knew better than to argue with Patton’s mom. She had basically raised all of them. Hecc, she single handedly raised six boys. She was the strongest person any of them knew. There was no disagreeing with her.  
So, Logan paused the Netflix show, and the three boys ran to go wash their hands, wondering how Alexis and Jack got out of helping.


	2. Gay Panic & Bad Improv

Patton woke to the sound of his alarm beeping over and over again. Yes. That dreaded sound which meant it was time for school. Patton didn't mind much, though. Not as much as everyone else seemed to mind when their alarms went off. Because this meant he got to see his friends!

He quickly got ready for school, brushing his teeth, showering, dressing, and as soon as he was ready, like clockwork, he heard Roman’s car pulling into the driveway, beside Remy’s.  
“Get in, loser, we’re going to Hell!” Roman’s voice shouted up towards his window.  
Patton found himself grabbing his shoes and backpack, running down the stairs, “I’m gone, Ma!”  
“Wait! Lunches!” Mrs. Hart stacked three brown paper bags into her youngest son’s arms. “I love you, boys!”  
“Love you!” Roman, Logan and Patton chorused, as the latter piled into the car, hands full. “Go, go, go!”  
Patton climbed into the backseat and glanced over at Logan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone. He looked so cute with his glasses and his tie and his face and his… everything about him.  
It was only a twenty minute drive from Patton’s driveway to the school, and he spent the entire time trying to not stare at his best friend of fourteen years. There was a certain familiarity about the whole thing. The routine of it all. The three teens had had the same routine since Freshman year. Although, back then, Roman’s foster dad drove them to school on his way to work.  
But things were different now. They were older. They were independent. They were mature young men. You would not catch them singing Disney songs at the top of their lungs on their way to school any longer!

“UNDER THE SEA  
UNDER THE SEA  
DARLIN’ IT'S BETTER  
DOWN WHERE IT’S WETTER  
TAKE IT FROM ME!”

The three sang, loudly, as they pulled into the school parking lot. What? Okay, I lied. They always played Disney soundtracks on when they drove to school. It was tradition!  
The three of them piled out of the car, Patton now with his shoes on, and each boy having his own lunch neatly packed away in their backpacks. 

Logan wrapped his arm around Patton’s shoulder as the three of them headed onto campus, “We will see you later, Logan.”  
“Yes, yes, you will,” Roman wiggled his fingers at them as he walked away.  
Alone at last, Patton leaned his head against Logan’s shoulder as they walked. If he didn't think about it too hard, it almost felt like they were dating. Logan’s hand moving down to the small of his back. The feeling of the taller boy’s shirt collar against his skin.  
Patton pulled the sleeves of his cardigan down over his hands, blushing softly. But his daydream was quickly cut short as the arrived to their Advanced English IV class.  
Logan pulled his arm away, and Patton stood up straighter. The two of them took their seats in the middle of the room.  
Patton could hear whispers from their classmates. Quickly, panic swept him up. Why were they whispering?! What were they whispering about?! It surely couldn't be about him being in love with Logan! What, love?! Who said anything about love?! He didn't love Logan! Well, he did love Logan, but only in the sense of which he also loved Roman! They were just friends! Nothing gay going on here!!  
“Pat?” Logan frowned at him from where he sat at his desk.  
“Nothing! I mean… What? What's gay-- what's good?!” His eyes widened in horror. “What's up?”  
“Are you alright?”  
“Yea, yes, all gay here-- good here! Why do I keep saying gay?”  
“Well, you know, in the Old English sense of the word,” Their English teacher, a woman in her early twenties, grinned as she walked in. “Hey, losers. Cut it out with all the whispering. What's whisper worthy?”  
One of the Lesbians ™, looked up at the teacher's desk. “New family moved into Mr. McGregor’s place, Ms. Elsie.”

Now, it's important that you know, there had not been a new family in Honeyville since Patton was in the third grade. No one moved to Honeyville. If they were smart, they'd leave. But no one in their right minds moved there. 

“Mr. McGregor’s place?” Logan turned around in his chair.  
“Yep. Apparently, he left his house to his niece,” Another Lesbian™ shrugged. “And she has a son.”  
“Is he cute?” Logan asked.  
“Aah!” Patton's eyes widened once more. “Logan!”  
“Wouldn't know. He's of the male persuasion.”  
“Amen to that, sister,” Ms. Elsie leaned forward and high fived the Lesbian™. “Okay! Enough shop talk! Let's get lit!... Get it? Because we're reading a classical piece of literature?”  
At that point, the entire class groaned. That was a really bad pun, and no one was here for it. 

\---

Meanwhile, in first period Drama, Roman was preparing to do go on stage and perform do a little improv sesh with his fellow classmates. He quickly ran a comb through his hair, using his phone as a mirror.  
“Roman…” his drama teacher cleared his throat. “Let’s move this along, shall we?”  
“We shan’t! Not until my hair is perfect!”  
At that exact moment, the door opened, and in walked the principal with who could only be described as a dark, mysterious, edgelord.  
As the principal moved to talk with the teacher, said dark, mysterious, edge lord make his way towards the dramatic more teen.  
“Lookin’... frilly,” the shorter boy looked Roman up and down, a small smirk on his face.  
“And who, prey tell, are you, panic! at the everywhere?” Roman pushed a strand of hair out of his face. The short, yet mysterious teen had a layer of messy purple hair over his- what Roman was assuming was- previously dark brown hair. He wore a dark shade of blank eyeshadow under his eyes, which really popped against his pale skin. He wore black jeans along with a regular black tee, covered with a black hoodie which had clearly been ripped up in some places, with purple plaid patches sewn on, rather poorly. 

Roman looked the complete opposite of him. He had on a gloriously white, flowy shirt, with matching white, flowy pants. He had a red sash over his shirt, making him look rather royal. He, too, wore makeup, but it popped much less than the other boy’s. Just a little foundation, eyeliner and light pink lipstick. His hair was perfectly combed back, although he still wasn’t happy with this one pesky strand that continued to fall into his face.  
“Virgil Darhk, you highness,” he did a little mock bow, one hand behind his back and the other dramatically circling in front of him, twice.  
“Dark is right,” Roman grinned, and returned the bow. “Roman King.”  
“King. How suiting for such a prince.”  
“Are they flirting or are they about to have a turf war?” One girl whispered to her friend.  
Her friend shook her head, “I have no idea, but I’m super into it.”  
“Same…”  
“Mr. Darhk,” the teacher turned to Virgil as the principal left. “What an excellent day of to you have joined us. We are doing improv. Every Wednesday. Would you like to give it a shot?”  
“It would be my great honor, if your dear Mr. King would help me.”  
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, my chemically imbalanced romance.”  
“Oh, you flirt,” Virgil turned his head, a small smile on his face. The two ran up on the stage, and Roman turned to their audience of classmates.  
“Give us a prompt, my little thespian spawns.”  
“Hit man,” one boy responded, without missing a beat, tossing a lead pencil at Virgil.  
“And ACTION!” The teacher shouted.

Virgil slipped the pencil up the sleeve of his oversized hoodie, flipping his bangs out of his eyes, “Oh, my love, my Prince Roman!”  
Roman frowned at this take at improv. He wasn’t quite sure Virgil knew how to be a hit man. But as the magnificent actor he was, he followed the other boy’s lead. “Virgil, my dearest, how did you get into the castle? The guards--”  
“I scaled the building! Nothing could keep me away from you! Our love brought me here! I could not bare the thought of being away from you, for just one more moment!”  
“But I am to be King, and you are just a lowly peasant… a lowly peasant who has captured my heart… But no! You cannot be here!” He turned away, placing the back of his hand against his forehead, dramtically. “My father would have you killed!”  
“I would rather die one thousand deaths than be apart from you, my love, please!” Virgil got down on one knee, pulling the pencil out of his sleeve. “Accept this rose, and I will fight for you. Don’t, and you will never have to see me again.”  
“Oh, Virgil! My dark knight, I just… the social norms. I cannot defy them!”  
“Would you really live with your social norms, alone, and unloved!? Denying yourself your happiness!?”  
“... I know what I must do. I must marry you.” Roman took the lead pencil rose. There was no fucking hitman in this love story… or was there?”  
Virgil jumped to his feet, “Hurry. Let’s go. Before the guards realize!” He turned away from the prince. There was no fucking hitman… or was there?  
Roman’s fingers wrapped around his sash, before he violently yeeted it off, affectively ruining his shirt. Before Virgil could process what was happening, Roman wrapped his sash around the short man’s neck, slowly choking him.  
“I am sorry, my love… this was the only way our romance was going to end…”  
“But… why…?” He choked out.  
“Because your wife hired me to seduce and kill you. I am a prince, and a prince has got to slay. Literally.” He winked out into the crowd as Virgil took his last breath… and died.

“Ugh! Beautiful! I love a good plot twist!” The teacher shouted, clapping. “We all thought he was going to kill you… but it was a rose, not a dagger… I’m totally shipping this. I’m going to cry.”  
“This was literally my worst work ever,” Roman made a face of pure disgust.  
“Yea, I’m not even an actor.” Virgil moved back to his feet, holding Roman’s sash. “I needed another elective class. I was just spewing gay nonsense.”  
“I, as well, was spewing gay nonsense. Pleasure working with you, dark lord.”  
“And you as well, Sir-Song-A-Long. I’m leaving to find a void to yeet into. Here’s your… body scarf thing,” Virgil handed him his sash, and left the classroom, the period only half over.  
“... Peculiar man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I really like the way I ended this. Ugh. I'll probably go back and change it later. But I am tired, so... I'll worrying about this later. Happy readings, my children.
> 
> This story will also be posted on tumblr @ glitteryprincessmikky and on wattpad @ _-Geronimo-_


	3. Word Association Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for all the OCs. Just trying to create a family sorts vibe. In case anyone is lost, here is a little... family tree.
> 
> Mrs. Hart & Mr. Hart have four sons. Alexis, Jack and you all know Remy and Patton.
> 
> Roman has twin younger sisters, Robbin and Reighlynn. Their foster mom is also lowkey in this chapter.
> 
> Virgil's mom Mrs. Dark is in the chapter. 
> 
> The only person whose parent will not be making an appearance in this chapter is Logan's. Let me know in the comments if you dislike how many OCs I put in here and I will try and use them less.

Roman, Logan, Patton and Roman’s younger sisters, Reighlynn and Robbin found themselves laying on Roman’s queen sized bed one fateful Saturday morning.  
The twins sat at the end of the bed, painting Roman and Patton’s toes bright shades of pink, purple and blue. Reighlynn and Robbin were four years old, blonde, and relentlessly mischievous.  
The King had began to foster them about three years ago, and in that time, the twins had picked up several different languages. English, of course. French (from the Kings). Spanish (from Roman). And sign language (from Patton, whose brother was deaf).  
So, they were already pretty impressive.  
They were little feminists (despite the Kings’ distaste for fighting gender roles), and they were already in Kindergarten. They already knew how to read-- heck, they knew bigger words than Roman did (and some words even Logan didn't know). 

Patton and Logan were both leaning against the bed frame. Logan was reading a book of Shakespearean plays- he was big on old English, not so much the romance of it all. And Patton was scrolling through his Pinterest, looking for new recipes to make, since Christmas was just around the corner. Roman was lying down, his head in Logan's lap, watching Tangled on the small tv, in the corner of the room. It was quiet, which was abnormal, considering there were five people sitting in one room. Almost… too quiet.

Logan glanced up from his book, “No. Nope. No. What is going on? What is happening right now?”  
“... You’re reading, Roman is watching Disney, I’m scrolling Pinterest, and the twins are painting our nails,” Patton glanced up at him from where he was leaning against the headboard.  
“It is far too quiet. I don’t trust like that. Something is wrong,” He glanced at his watch. “We have to be forgetting something. Something is most definitely wrong.”  
“Nothing is wrong, you’re just being paranoid,” Roman replied, not taking his eyes off of the tv screen. “It’s Saturday. Therefore, our only responsibility is the twins. Twins, are you here?”  
“I mean, is anyone really ever anywhere? If anything, we are just more likely to be here than to be elsewhere,” Robbin shrugged.  
Reighlynn nodded in agreement, “We’ve been watching Life. Sarah Shahi is god’s gift to us all. And if Life has taught us anything, it’s that no one is really ever really anywhere. It’s called having zen.”  
“... Definitely here, definitely weird. I’d say all is good.”  
“It is never this quiet. There is absolutely something very wrong right now.”  
“You seem just super stressed out about nothing,” Roman sat up and placed his hand against Logan’s face. “Are you sick?”  
Logan had always had a bad habit of stressing out whenever things seemed even remotely calm. There was always something that needed to be done. Sitting around and relaxing did the opposite of relaxing him. It gave him what could only be described as unspeakable anxiety.  
“I know what calms Lo!” Reighlynn climbed onto his lap and looked into his eyes, with a very serious look on her face, “Word association games.”  
“... I do love word association games,” his eyes lit up behind his glasses.  
“Great, I’ll start!” Robbin sat crisscrossed at the edge of the bed, closing the purple nail polish container, “Horror.”  
“Government,” Logan responded, without missing a beat, to which Roman responded…  
“Dicks.”  
“Infinitesimal,” Patton giggled, earning himself a glare from Logan. It was a running joke between the two of them, because Logan did not know the correct definition of the word at one point in time, and Pat would just not let him live it down.  
“Mice,” Reighlynn tried to steer the game back to a more… kid friendly game.  
“Cheese,” Robbin grinned.  
“Camera!”  
“Picture.”  
“Perfect!”  
“Roman!”  
“Royalty!”  
“Queen,” Logan was getting into the game, and his worries began slipping away.  
“King!”  
“You kids home?” A voice called from downstairs.  
“That… is a King,” Patton shot finger guns at the others on the bed, making a pun of R, R & R’s last name.  
“Amazing!” Logan aggressively high fived the shorter of the two, which made Patton squealed.  
“We’re up here in Ro’s room!” Robbin shouted down to their foster mother, who appeared in the doorway shortly after.  
Mrs. King had long, dark, curly brown hair. She looked sophisticated, mature, and like someone who would be a great mom. Except… she wasn’t. Neither of the Kings were. Not only were they not good parents, they weren’t particularly good people. They didn't care for Roman or the twins. So, you might ask why they were fostering them, if they didn't want them. It’s the same reason why anyone does anything in this world. Money. About $700 dollars, per head, every month. Which roughly added up to $2100 a month. “I thought you had some dinner party?”  
“Fucking- I knew we were forgetting something!” Logan shouted, jumping to his feet, scooping Reighlynn up in his arms as he did so. “Curse you and your word association games! My only weakness!”  
“Can we go with you, to get away from the Wicked Witch?” Robbin motioned towards her foster mother, who was still standing in the doorway, rolling her eyes.  
“Yes, go get dressed!” Patton nodded, “I really forgot about this welcoming party!”  
“We are the worst neighbors,” Roman agreed as the twins ran to get changed, and Mrs. King went back downstairs, wanting to be as far from the kids as possible.

\---

Twenty minutes later, they had dropped by Logan’s house so he could put on his nice clothes (which no one understood how they were any different from his other clothes. Nothing of his wasn’t nice.), and then the five of them were back at Patton’s house, where a dinner party was about to take place.  
Where the f were you!? Patton’s brother, Remy, signed in distress. Mom is losing her mind!  
Logan’s fault! Robbin signed up at him, Patton being in far too much of a hurry to explain. He ran upstairs to get changed before their guests arrived. Apparently, Mr. Hart was childhood friends with Mrs. Darhk (yes, the mother of that Darhk!), and they had been enlisted together in the military for years. Did every tour together. Friendship and all that crap.  
So, Mrs. Hart was setting up a dinner party for (gimme a second to count all these shits) something like thirteen people. Logan, Patton, Roman, Reighlynn, Robbin, Remy, Alexis, Jack, Mr. Hart, Virgl, Mrs. Darhk… and herself. Twelve. One off.  
It was just a little welcome-to-hell party. The Harts were just those kinds of people. Good, holy, precious people. It was unclear on why they associated with… anyone the associated with. Including the Kings and Sanders (whatever the plural of Sanders is. Sanderses? Sandi?)

“They’re here,” Mr. Hart shouted, hurrying into the living room and out the front door to great their guests. “Diana! Virge!”  
“Hey, Hart,” A familiar voice filled Roman’s ears. It was him. The edgy one. With the purple hair and shitty, emo clothes. He knew this was coming! Why was he completely freaked!?  
“How’s my hair?” Roman looked down at his twin sisters.  
Robbin crossed her arms, “It hasn’t changed in the last three years. Probably longer.”  
“It has never changed,” Logan confirmed. “Not one hair out of place. It is a mystery to me how you… do all that. Who has the time?”  
“Me. I have the time. Shut up, they’re coming.”  
“Patton!” Alexis shouted up the stairs. “It’s time to pretend you’re all hetero! We have company!”  
“My least favorite part about company!” Patton whined as he ran down the stairs.  
“It’s so funny, though,” Reighlynn giggled.  
“You don’t have to pretend to be straight every time!” Mrs. Hart whisper-shouted. “It’s so weird!”  
“Great. Now Mom is hetero-phobic. Self deprecating much, Ma?” Jack whispered back as the door opened to reveal Mr. Hart, Virgil, and Mrs. Darhk.

“Try and keep up, Darhks,” Mr. Hart gestured to his family and family friends. “In order, Patton, Logan, Alexis, Robbin, Reighlynn, my lovely wife, Angela, Remy, Roman, Jack.”  
“I will… never remember any of that,” Virgil grumbled, glancing up at Roman from behind his bangs.  
“Everyone, this is Diana Darhk and her son, Virgil.”  
“... Who likes boobs?” Roman shouted in a gay panic, for no reason, creating an awkward silence among the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took, like, so long to get out. Bleh. Honestly, I am struggling so hard with depression, especially these past few days. I don't even know. Sorry for the wait and the absolute shitty content? I guess? Bleh. Whatever. But here you go. It would really make my day if y'all could comment, even if it's just, like, insulting me. Because that would mean you read the entire thing if you saw this... at the bottom? I guess? Sorta just rambling here. Agh. Haha. So... yea.  
> Happy readings, folks. 
> 
> -your angsty gay lord, Mikky

**Author's Note:**

> How did y'all like it? Please let me know in the comments if you think there is anything I could have done better. (Also, sorry for any typos in the notes. I'm trying to type on my phone on a road trip. I'm relying purely on autocorrect to catch my mistakes)


End file.
